Wants thorough investigation by Lagos Assembly
The Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) has attributed the collapse of the building on Oremeta Street to the non-implementation of its recommendations following the 2013 building collapse on Bashiru Street.
The guild, which serves as the umbrella body for seven built environment professional groups dedicated to eradicating building collapses, described the recent collapse of the three-storey building with three suspended floors under construction for a fourth storey on Saturday, April 19, 2025, as a blow to their collective conscience.
BCPG expressed that the pain and regret within the guild became more profound after eight bodies were recovered and 20 persons sustained injuries.
According to the guild, the fact that this collapse and its accompanying loss of innocent lives were preventable has deepened the emotional wound inflicted on its members.
Questioning how the tragedy occurred between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, members described the incident as not only unpardonable but also deeply distressing.
In a statement signed jointly by the Coordinator of BCPG Ojodu Cell, Mr Abiodun Adegoke; the General Secretary, Mr Dom Ibeh; and the Public Relations Officer, Mr Femi Ishola, the guild recalled that on Tuesday, May 7, 2013, a four-storey building under construction at No 15, Bashiru Street, Ojodu, Lagos, collapsed, killing one person.
The guild further noted that a recently constructed two-storey building now stands at the site of the 2013 collapse, despite Section 74 of the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law of 2010 mandating the forfeiture of lands of collapsed buildings to the government.
“This punishment is reinforced by Section 25, Sub-section 4, of the 2019 Lagos State Building Control Agency regulations, which state:
‘Any structure which collapses due to negligence on the part of the developer of the property shall be sealed off and forfeited to the state government after due investigation and publication of the notice of forfeiture in the State Official Gazette.’
“This astonishing development at No 15, Bashiru Street, Ojodu, calls for immediate investigation,” the guild said.
The guild highlighted that in 2010 and 2019, the seven professional bodies in the built environment in Lagos State had commended the enactment of laws and regulations aimed at mitigating building collapses in the state.
It stressed the urgent need to bridge the gap between policy formulation and implementation.
The BCPG also emphasised that the official investigation of every collapsed building, a prerequisite for the forfeiture of the land as stipulated in Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) regulations, is often neglected.
The guild urged the Lagos State House of Assembly to ensure a thorough investigation into the collapse of the building at No 10, Oremeta Street, Ojodu.
